Corrosive environments present a significant problem for equipment such as air conditioning equipment. One such corrosive environment is a marine environment. Marine air conditioning equipment is subjected to significantly harsher environments when compared to air conditioning equipment designed and used in non-corrosive environments. For example, one problem associated with air conditioning equipment used on boats, such as offshore supply boats and crew boats serving the oil industry, is rapid deterioration of the condenser coil. It is common that the fins of conventional condenser coils become plugged owing to such things as salt corrosion, chemical dust resulting from the transportation of various chemical cargos, as well as other extraneous particulate matter. Salt water corrosion significantly shortens the service life of the marine equipment.
Further, many sea-going vessels are now required to have an on-board working firefighting system. Such a system is typically tested once a month which involves spraying the entire exterior of the vessel with saltwater. This leads to accelerated corrosion of deck equipment.
There is a wide variety of marine air conditioning equipment on the commercial market, but they all are all faced with premature failure owing to the above mentioned problems. Several approaches have been taken to improve marine air conditioning equipment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,536 teaches a self contained marine air conditioner whose operative components are mounted in a deep condensate pan with the condenser coil within the same shroud as the evaporator coil and between the evaporator coil and the blower. A decontamination system for a marine air conditioner is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,278,272 wherein a germicidal lamp, which preferably emits ultraviolet radiation is provided upstream of the evaporator coil.
While there are various commercial marine air conditioning units on the market today, most of them suffer from premature failure due to harsh corrosive environments. Therefore, there is a need in the art for air conditioner equipment that can better withstand harsh corrosive environments compared to conventional air conditioner equipment on the market today.